JJ_14
Go Briscoe!
NASCAR gets lots of criticism for some of their decisions. Many complain about the points system, others about the racing product. There are countless other things.
That said, NASCAR has done a lot of great things as well. A sport were cars go nearly 200 MPH hasn't seen a death in more than two decades. That's definitely something to be proud of.
Other things they've nailed:
SAFER BARRIERS - I know this isn't recent, but the implementation of safer barriers is an absolute genius move. It has saved countless lives over the years. We've seen many nasty wrecks, like Michael McDowell in 2008. The car safety deserves credit, but in reality, it was the safer barriers that saved his life.
DOUBLE FILE RESTARTS - Another genius move by NASCAR. Why this didn't happen earlier is beyond me, but I'm glad NASCAR realized that double-file restarts was the way to go.
NOT RUNNING BACK TO THE YELLOW - It took a near nasty collision in the early 2000's for NASCAR to realize that racing back to the caution wasn't the way to go. It was actually a Dale Jarrett incident that made it happen.
LAP CARS TO THE BACK OF THE FIELD - Seeing the leaders take the green with lap cars inside of them must've been very confusing to the casual fan back in the day.
LUCKY DOG - Following their implementation of not running back to the line, NASCAR came up with a perfect solution to give drivers a chance to get back on the lead lap -- the infamous lucky dog award. It's just so much better than having to race & pass the leaders.
NEW CAR - Gen 6 was a great success. We all love the Gen 4 cars -- they're iconic. But the world is evolving, & those cars had outdated technology. Gen 7 came with issues, but once they're fixed, I expect great things out of that car.
PIT ROAD SPEED LIMIT - Believe it or not, going full speed on pit road was a thing until the early 90's. I can't imagine how dangerous it was. Pit road speed limit is definitely a no brainer.
I'm sure I'm missing a few things on the list above; this is just off the top of my head.
BONUS
There are things I don't "love" about the new NASCAR, although I can live with them. Those are:
SCHEDULE - For some reason, NASCAR is tinkering with the schedule too much. I think they should look at the past & how having a consistent schedule was a massive success. 36 races, same weekend every year. I think the schedule should be consistent. That's just my opinion though.
POINTS SYSTEM - The points system isn't terrible, but I would like it if every race mattered, not just the last 10. This is something that I can agree with other fans. I liked when NASCAR rewarded consistency.
STAGE RACING - Stage racing takes away pit strategy for the most part, which is a shame.
NOT REWARDING LAPS LED - In a sport like NASCAR, not rewarding most laps lead is a travesty. I hope NASCAR looks into this & somehow implements a bonus for laps led.
That said, NASCAR has done a lot of great things as well. A sport were cars go nearly 200 MPH hasn't seen a death in more than two decades. That's definitely something to be proud of.
Other things they've nailed:
SAFER BARRIERS - I know this isn't recent, but the implementation of safer barriers is an absolute genius move. It has saved countless lives over the years. We've seen many nasty wrecks, like Michael McDowell in 2008. The car safety deserves credit, but in reality, it was the safer barriers that saved his life.
DOUBLE FILE RESTARTS - Another genius move by NASCAR. Why this didn't happen earlier is beyond me, but I'm glad NASCAR realized that double-file restarts was the way to go.
NOT RUNNING BACK TO THE YELLOW - It took a near nasty collision in the early 2000's for NASCAR to realize that racing back to the caution wasn't the way to go. It was actually a Dale Jarrett incident that made it happen.
LAP CARS TO THE BACK OF THE FIELD - Seeing the leaders take the green with lap cars inside of them must've been very confusing to the casual fan back in the day.
LUCKY DOG - Following their implementation of not running back to the line, NASCAR came up with a perfect solution to give drivers a chance to get back on the lead lap -- the infamous lucky dog award. It's just so much better than having to race & pass the leaders.
NEW CAR - Gen 6 was a great success. We all love the Gen 4 cars -- they're iconic. But the world is evolving, & those cars had outdated technology. Gen 7 came with issues, but once they're fixed, I expect great things out of that car.
PIT ROAD SPEED LIMIT - Believe it or not, going full speed on pit road was a thing until the early 90's. I can't imagine how dangerous it was. Pit road speed limit is definitely a no brainer.
I'm sure I'm missing a few things on the list above; this is just off the top of my head.
BONUS
There are things I don't "love" about the new NASCAR, although I can live with them. Those are:
SCHEDULE - For some reason, NASCAR is tinkering with the schedule too much. I think they should look at the past & how having a consistent schedule was a massive success. 36 races, same weekend every year. I think the schedule should be consistent. That's just my opinion though.
POINTS SYSTEM - The points system isn't terrible, but I would like it if every race mattered, not just the last 10. This is something that I can agree with other fans. I liked when NASCAR rewarded consistency.
STAGE RACING - Stage racing takes away pit strategy for the most part, which is a shame.
NOT REWARDING LAPS LED - In a sport like NASCAR, not rewarding most laps lead is a travesty. I hope NASCAR looks into this & somehow implements a bonus for laps led.